In brief
The recent introduction of stringent registration requirements by Israeli authorities for international NGOs has raised alarms about the future of humanitarian efforts in Gaza. With a deadline looming, organizations like Save the Children and Médecins Sans Frontières have expressed deep concerns about the impact on healthcare and other vital services. Many agencies warn that if forced to cease operations, healthcare access could drastically diminish, risking lives amidst an already fragile humanitarian situation.
The UN and other aid agencies fear new Israeli registration rules for dozens of international non-governmental organisations (INGOs) risk the collapse of the humanitarian response in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
INGOs not registered by 31 December face closure of their operations in Israel within 60 days, which the agencies say could severely disrupt healthcare and other life-saving services in Gaza.
Save the Children stated its application remains unapproved and it is pursuing all available avenues to have this decision reconsidered. The Israeli ministry of diaspora affairs has insisted that the departure of 'rogue organisations' will not affect aid delivery.
Fourteen of around 100 applications have been rejected, while 21 have been approved. The newly enacted registration system has several grounds for potential rejection, leaving many organizations struggling to meet the criteria.
If INGOs are forced to stop operations due to these rules, experts warn that one in three health facilities in Gaza could close, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.
With Gaza's health system already destroyed, losing access to independent and experienced humanitarian organisations would be a disaster for Palestinians, stated Médecins Sans Frontières.
Humanitarian workers stress that Israel has an obligation under international humanitarian law to ensure adequate support for Gaza's population, asserting that any lapse in NGO operations will have catastrophic consequences for the region.
The Humanitarian Country Team called attention to the arbitrary nature of the new criteria and warned that the humanitarian response cannot be replaced by alternative actors operating outside established principles.
